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Explanation: 635,600 referrals were made to children’s services during 2014/15. (This is not the number of children who were referred, as some children may have been referred on more than one occasion).

At 31 March 2015 390,960 children were assessed as “children in need” of support, services or further investigation. 192,940 of these children were assessed as being in need due to abuse or neglect.

The children in need figures include children on the child protection register (because they are at ongoing risk of significant harm), and looked after children (children in care). A child may also receive support services because they are disabled, a parent is ill or disabled, or there are other family problems. Some children may have been abused but either there is no ongoing risk of significant harm or they don’t reach the threshold for “significant harm”.

Explanation: There were 49,690 children subject to a child protection plan in England on 31 March 2015. 22,230 children were under the category of neglect. This equates to 45% of all the children subject to a child protection plan in England.

These figures represent children identified and assessed as being at ongoing risk of significant harm from neglect.